Journey
by Michaelis Sebastian
Summary: Book three to "Messengers' Home" series. This one shows what the six chosen cats go through to find their Clans a new home since the Humans are destroying their current land. It is also partly centered around LightClan in the beginning and at other points to show what is going on in the Lake territories.
1. New Surroundings

Chapter One  
New Surroundings  
LightClan Territory

During the early morning hours of a wet spring day, a small gray cat is walking through the open moorland territory of LightClan. Now this cat seems small because well he is still a young Kit of no more than maybe three to four weeks of age. His ears are down and his tail doesn't move as he continues padding through the tall wet grass of this unknown area.

The little gray Kit was not born in LightClan nor was he born in a Human's house. He was in fact born on the streets of the Human territory just outside the lake home of the six Clans. He has no memory of his mother; she was killed by a car some time ago and as for his littermates, they were taken in by the store owner whose alleyway they had been born in leaving poor little Gray Owl out in the cold wet night with no warmth, love, or food.

Gray Owl lifts his head upon hearing movement up ahead of his current location. With his ears still back, he draws in the new scent. It doesn't smell like another cat to him nor does it give off a friendly scent. The unknown creature moves quickly in Gray Owl's direction, frightening the poor defenseless kit. He backs away into a tree accidentally trapping himself.

Before the larger animal can even sink its fangs into the gray Kit's scruff, something else knocks it aside. Not wanting to see his own demise, Gray Owl has his blue-gray eyes tightly shut. "We need o chase this fox off!" growled a deep voice located somewhere in front of the Kit. A pure white fluffy she-cat pads over to Gray Owl and looks at the cowering Kit briefly before looking at her Denmate.

"Take Silvermoon and Gorsepaw with you, Pepperclaw," she mewed. "I'll tend to the Kit."

"Will do," replied the tom known as Pepperclaw. Two more cats run past the white she-cat to aide the fluffy brown tabby tom. One is a large silver gray tabby tom and the other is smaller in size with dark gray fur. The she-cat looks back at the frightened Kit with gentle blue eyes.

"Look at me little one," she mewed gently. "I will not harm a strand of fur on your pelt." Gray Owl looks up at the white cat and slowly opens his eyes.

"W-who are you?" he asked in a timid yet small voice.

"My name is Snowdrift and I'm here to help you." Gray Owl looks at the three cats that are giving the fox a good chase from their territory. Silvermoon came bounding over to Snowdrift and Gray Owl quickly causing the Kit to back away in fear.

"Shh, little one, I won't hurt you," the large silver tom mewed in a gentle voice. Gray Owl looks up at Silvermoon with his ears still back. Gorsepaw and Pepperclaw pad over to their Clanmates to look down at their little rescuee.

"Who do we have here?" Pepperclaw asked in general curiosity.

"It looks like a lost HouseCat!" snarled Gorsepaw rudely.

"Come to think of it, this Kit doesn't smell like Humans," Silvermoon put in giving the Kit a goo sniff without knocking him over.

"Nor do we know his name because we never asked for it," Snowdrift put in. "Therefore, you shouldn't jump to conclusions about others, Gorsepaw. You need to learn the difference between a Loner and a HouseCat." Gray Owl looks at each of them in turn, though he doesn't say anything at first clearly still frightened.

"So what are we going to do with it?" Gorsepaw asked a hint of disgust in his voice.

"We are going to bring him to Whiskerstar," Snowdrift said as she places her jaws gently around Gray Owl's scruff. She closes her mouth and lifts her head slowly and carefully bringing the Kit up off the ground.

"I doubt that Whiskerstar would let a Kit this size stay out in the cold nights alone and unprotected, especially if we can't find his mother," Silvermoon said as he nudges the Apprentice from behind to get him to head back towards the camp. Gorsepaw huffs in annoyance, but starts padding ahead of the three Warriors. Pepperclaw, Silvermoon, and Snowdrift fall into step beside each other as they head back home since their hunting patrol ended in a rescue instead. Gray Owl remains silent as he dangles from the white Warrior's jaws as she walks.


	2. A New Life

Chapter 2

A New Life

LightClan Camp

Clearing

Within the LightClan camp there is early morning activity going on as Whiskerstar, a light gray she-cat, pad among her Clanmates. A small patrol of Warriors are getting ready to head out of the camp to do a patrol of their border to make sure there are no intruders. The Apprentices are cleaning the only Elder's bedding and getting fresh-kill for the Elder and Queens.

Some of the older Kits are huddled at the entrance of the Nursery. They are looking outside at the dreary sky in hopes that it would clear up so that they can go outside and play. The nursing Queens of the younger Kits are curled in their nests with their Kits suckling happily.

While Snowdrift is carrying him, Gray Owl gets memories of how his mother once carried him when he was smaller. He also remembered that he was always the last one that she picked up, but always placed in the warmest spot near her belly. He closed his eyes at the memory as it deepened more.

**Gray Owl's Memory**

It was a couple of weeks after a pure black she-cat named Shimmer found out that she was going to have Kits. She didn't know who the father was nor was she even ready to have Kits. Shimmer pads down a dark alleyway, her swollen belly swaying from side to side as she walked. She knew that she found out late about her pregnancy and the contractions going through her sides told her that her Kits were going to be coming soon. The black she-cat lay in a pile of leaves hoping that the pain would soon stop. She lays her head down and closed her eyes.

She is awoken some time later by wetness between her legs going up her fur. Shimmer lifts her head and looked down and saw blood. Pain passed through her belly again and she gritted her teeth from it. She follows her urge and started pushing. Soon she had three mewling Kits nestled in the curve of her belly. A fourth lay close by her, but this one was born dead. The dead Kit was Shimmer's firstborn son. The survivors are two she-cats and a small tom. Too exhausted at the moment, Shimmer lay her head down and closed her eyes.

**LightClan Camp**

**Clearing**

When Gray Owl came out of his memories, he found himself in the middle of an active camp. He looked around confused. Snowdrift is sitting behind the small gray Kit, while the rest of her patrol heads to the fresh-kill pile to get something to eat. Whiskerstar looked down at the Kit that's sitting in front of Snowdrift's forepaws. "Why have you brought this Kit here?" Mousetrap asked before his Leader could say a word. Whiskerstar glared at the Medicine Cat for speaking out of turn.

"Where did you find this little one, Snowdrift?" the LightClan Leader asked the white Warrior gently.

"He was being stalked by a fox on our territory," Snowdrift answered gently. The spooked Kit looked up at Whiskerstar with his ears back.

"Does this little one have a name?"

"Of that I am not sure," the white Warrior answered. "We didn't ask him that while we were out there…" Whiskerstar looked at the Kit again.

"What's your name little one?" she asked him gently.

"M-my name is Gray Owl…" the gray Kit squeaked still scared.

"Why were you wondering around our territory?" Mousetrap growled as he got into the Kit's face. Whiskerstar grabbed the Medicine Cat's scruff in her teeth and pulled him away from Gray Owl.

"Enough already, Mousetrap!" hissed Whiskerstar. She then turned back to face the Kit. "Why were you in our territory?"

"I-I didn't know that it was your territory…" the Kit stuttered frightened even more now due to Mousetrap's rudeness and viciousness. Snowdrift glared continuously at the brown Medicine Cat.

"You are clearly under the age of six moons. Where is your mother Gray Owl?" a light brown Queen asked as she wrapped her tail neatly around her paws.

"S-she was killed… She was hit by a car one day when she went hunting for herself…" Gray Owl said lowering his head and letting his ears go back.

"Ferncloud, I think that struck him hard to repeat…" an old dark gray tom said in a deep raspy voice.

"It was not intended to hurt him," the Queen replied. "He needs to nurse that's why I asked that question."

"Do you have any littermates?" a calico Queen asked after licking her right forepaw.

"T-they were taken in by a Human…" Gray Owl said. "He didn't want me so he just took my sisters and left me outside in the cold…"

"Some Humans are despicable!" growled a dark gray tabby tom that's the same size as Gorsepaw.

"He's just giving us a sob story so that we won't chase him from our camp!" hissed Gorsepaw. Snowdrift flicked her tail at the Apprentice to silence him for his rude comment.

"Do you really expect Whiskerstar to throw a defenseless Kit out into the cold when he is unable to feed himself?" the white Warrior growled angrily. Gorsepaw doesn't reply to the question.

"Gray Owl will not be leaving the camp. He is welcome to join us if he so wishes. Though he will have to change his name and join the Nursery under Blueheart's watch," Whiskerstar said.

"Can I keep my name? It's the only thing that I have left of my mother…" Gray Owl asked as he looked up at the LightClan Leader. Whiskerstar thought for a moment upon the request from this Kit that has been through so much in his short life.

"I will allow you to keep your name if that is what you want. However, you are to still join the Nursery," Whiskerstar said finally. Gray Owl nodded his head in thanks. "Although, instead of your name being two separate parts it will be one word."

"Thank you…" Grayowl said this time verbally. Blueheart nudged him from behind to point him in the direction of the Nursery. Everyone went to their dens for a while to get some rest. The border patrol slipped out of the camp silently.


	3. Finding Refuge

Chapter 3

Finding Refuge

Unknown Meadow

Some moons ago, six cats were chosen by their Warrior Ancestors to find their Clanmates a new home since the Humans are destroying the lake territory as it is with their monstrous machines. Six young cats; one from each Clan, each with their own unique skills.

Walking ahead of the small group of cats is a white and brown she-cat. Mothheart is the Medicine Cat Apprentice from LightClan. She is caring and helpful even towards those outside her Clan. Even when it comes to feeding time, she makes sure that the others in the group have fresh-kill before she takes something for herself.

Walking in the back of the group is a pure gray tom with brilliant blue eyes. Jayfeather is a young Warrior from CloudClan. He is smarter than what he gives off at times and is outstandingly great with herbs. He places the safety of his fellow group mates before himself; always looking for a safe and sheltered place to rest and eat at night.

Walking just a little ways ahead of Jayfeather is a bright ginger tom with amber eyes. Scorchfoot is the Medicine Cat Apprentice from SkyClan. He originally wanted to train as a Warrior when he was first Apprenticed. However, his Ancestors showed him a different path that he must take. Now, he works together with a few other Medicine Cat Apprentices to keep their group strong and healthy.

Next to Scorchfoot is a small ginger and white tabby she-cat. This young cat has a twisted right hind leg. She is Shallownight the new Medicine Cat Apprentice from LeafClan. She was originally born a HouseCat, but something called her and her brother, Stormpaw, to the lake home of the Warrior cats. She is kind and gentle though if pushed or provoked, Shallownight will not hesitate to stand her ground.

Walking somewhat behind Mothheart is a reddish-ginger tom with green eyes. This is Phoenixfeather, the current Medicine Cat of SunClan. His Mentor, Runningclaw, was supposed to remain the Medicine Cat until he returned home. However, due to unneeded circumstances, the old cat was killed by Whiplash some moon sago, leaving Topazshine of CloudClan to look after Phoenixfeather's Clanmates. He, of course, doesn't know of this just yet. Phoenixfeather is a caring and helpful cat, though he hates to see others hurt unless they somehow deserved it.

Walking beside Phoenixfeather is a blue-gray she-cat. She is soft-tempered until provoked. Bluetail is a young Warrior from WaterfallClan. Her fishing skills surpass those of other cats her age. She works well with those from the other Clans, but still thinks that hers is far superior to theirs. Bluetail is quick to make certain decisions before thinking through her options.

The six young cats are currently padding through a human's farm, weaving between the legs of many large and unfamiliar animals. "What are these animals?" Bluetail asked in a hushed voice.

"They are called farm animals,' a pure white tom answered as he padded over to the Warrior cats. He had mismatched eyes. His right is green while his left eye is blue. However, he is blind in his left eye.

"What type of animals? Surely, they are not all the same," Shallownight pointed out with a flick of her tail. The white tom licked his fluffy chest fur before he looked at the young she-cat.

"I don't know for sure what they are but I can give you a better idea of what they look like in other farms. The tall animals have long necks and come in many different colors; they also tend to be rather noisy. Humans tend to ride on their backs during the spring and summer months. The white and black animals give milk to the humans that look after them. Finally, the fluffy white animals are very bouncy and tend to run from the humans. I actually don't know what humans do with them," the white tom answered.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who are you?" Phoenixfeather asked in a voice that doesn't show his sheer disgust of the intruder. The white tom looked at Phoenixfeather taking no offense to the hidden venom in his voice.

"Oh my, where are my manners? My name is Fallen Snow."

"Are you a Warrior?" Scorchfoot asked.

"What's a Warrior?" the tom asked confused.

"Clearly, he has no clue on what we are talking about," Mothheart said in a whisper to the others.

"Are you lot hungry? I know a good place to hunt," Fallen Snow said happily. The six chosen cats looked at each other briefly looking back at the white tom with bright eyes.

"Yes, we are," Jayfeather answered for all of his fellow group mates. "We were looking for a place to hunt when we came across this strange meadow."

"Follow me then," the white tom said. He turned and started walking towards some shrubs further away from the grazing farm animals. The six young Warrior cats followed behind the tom not really sure if they could trust him or not. They have not seen another cat since they left their lake home. This cat just turned up out of the blue, why should they trust him? The answer was simple: he knew a good place to hunt and they were hungry.

Fallen Snow stopped just outside the patch of tall grass and looked at the six strange cats, waiting for them to catch up to him. His eyes are bright showing his happiness. "In here you'll find various kinds of prey such as birds, mice, voles, and even rabbits," the white tom said cheerfully before he disappeared into the tall grass. The Warrior cats looked at each other briefly before following the tom into the surprisingly soft yet tall grass. For a long while the seven cats hunted in silence trying to find something decent to eat.

Some time later, one by one the cats emerged with their catch. Jayfeather came out carrying a gray squirrel, two rather large brown field mice, and a gray vole in his jaws. He was the first cat to emerge from the tall grass. He sets his catch down on the ground at his paws.

The second cat to emerge is Bluetail. She is carrying a small blackbird and two water voles in her jaws. She sat across from the CloudClan Warrior and set her catch down at her paws. "You look like you hunted well, Jayfeather," she said.

"And you as well," he replied as he licked his chest fur down. The third cat to emerge was Scorchfoot who was carrying a rather large snake in his jaws. His eyes are sparkling as he dropped his catch on the ground.

"That was the best hunting so far since we started this journey!" Scorchfoot mewed happily.

"You seem extra happy, Scorchfoot" Mothheart said as she came out of the tall grass carrying a rabbit in her jaws.

"I have never found a snake this big in our lake home," Scorchfoot purred as he flicked his tail towards the dead boa constrictor. Mothheart lets out a purr of amusement as she added her catch to the pile that was steadily growing. Next came Phoenixfeather who was carrying a small bluebird and two brown squirrels.

"Did you hunt alright, Phoenixfeather?" Mothheart asked.

"I could have done better," the reddish-ginger tom answered. Shallownight stumbled out of the tall grass limping worse than usual. In her jaws are two gray field mice, but that's all.

"What happened to you Shallownight?" Bluetail asked her.

"I-I landed on my twisted leg wrong," she stumbled up to the others before she slumped to the ground in front of Jayfeather. Fallen Snow followed close behind Shallownight carrying three black mice.

"Is she okay?" the white tom asked concerned.

"She has a problem with her right hind leg," Mothheart answered as she sniffed the wounded leg. "She landed on it wrong. The entire leg is swollen from the incident.. We need to find a place to rest for a while."

"I have a place where you can stay for a while…" Fallen Snow said meekly to the Warrior cats. Phoenixfeather looked at the white tom gratefully.

"Please lead us there," he mewed as the others grabbed the prey. Jayfeather and Mothheart supported Shallownight on either side so that they could begin the walk to the nesting area that Fallen Snow would lead them to. "Fallen Snow helped grab some of the fresh-kill then led the Warriors to spot underneath a large stone ledge well hidden by several bramble bushes.

"You can stay here until you're ready to move on," Fallen Snow said, his voice filled with kindness after he put down the fresh-kill that had been in his mouth moments before in a small dip in the middle of the nesting area.

"Th-thank you…!" Shallownight said through gritted teeth, her voice laced with pain. None of her fellow Warriors said anything as they set their catch on the fresh-kill pile taking something to eat. Mothheart went to find dandelion to ease the pain, stinging nettle leaves to bring down the swelling, and poppy seeds to help Shallownight sleep.


End file.
